Marvel's Hawkeye television show has an animated introduction, which series star Jeremy Renner revealed to the world after its premiere at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. The upcoming show, centered around the master marksman superhero, is one of many set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which were confirmed for the Disney+ streaming service, along with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki and WandaVision.
First appearing in Tales of Suspense #57 as an Iron Man villain, Hawkeye has worn a number of hats over the years since renouncing his life of crime to become a member of the Avengers. He adopted the alias Goliath while utilizing the size-changing Pym Particles employed by Ant-Man, as well as the identity of Ronin. He also represents one of Marvel Comics' few heroic legacies, with a young woman named Kate Bishop having adopted the Hawkeye alias after Clint Barton's death during the Avengers Disassembled storyline. When Barton was resurrected years later and learned that his codename had adopted by another hero, he gave Bishop his blessing to continue being Hawkeye and the two became frequent partners afterward.
Jeremy Renner posted footage of Hawkeye's introduction to his personal Instagram account. The footage, which can be viewed below, shows a succession of targets and arrows, shot by a man in silhouette who resembles Renner. The introduction also features a dark-haired woman, also obscured in shadow, who is holding a bow. This is clearly meant to be Kate Bishop, who has not been cast for the series yet, but has been confirmed to be a part of the show's ensemble along with Renner's Clint Barton.
The animation style for the introduction resembles the artwork of artist David Aja, who had a critically acclaimed run on the monthly Hawkeye comic book along with writer Matt Fraction. Their 2012 Hawkeye series focused on Clint Barton's mentor/student relationship with Kate Bishop and their efforts to protect Clint's neighborhood from the Russian mafia. The series' won multiple Eisner Awards, with Aja winning three Eisners alone in the category of Best Cover Artist.
Many fans of the characters have commented that the Fraction/Aja series would serve as an ideal basis for a TV show. Based on the animated introduction and the description of Hawkeye, it seems that the minds behind Disney+ agree. Certainly Renner's comments on what fans can expect from the show suggest an emphasis on the themes behind the 2012 Hawkeye comic book series, with Renner saying that the show is about "a superhero without super powers" who gets "to teach someone else to be a superhero without super powers.”
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Source: Jeremy Renner/Instagram